August 15, 2024
Influencer marketing is not just for B2C brands! B2B companies are increasingly recognising the power of influencers to drive awareness, generate leads, and establish industry authority. However, choosing the right B2B influencers requires a different approach compared to B2C. Here’s how you can identify and select the best B2B influencers for your social media strategy.
Understand Your Goals
Before you start looking for influencers, it’s crucial to define your goals. Are you aiming to increase brand awareness, generate leads, or position your company as a thought leader? Your goals will shape the type of influencer you need. For instance, if you’re looking to build brand awareness, you might opt for influencers with a large following. However, if lead generation is your priority, you may want to focus on micro-influencers with a highly engaged, niche audience.
Understanding your audience is equally important. Your influencer should have a following that aligns with your target market. Consider factors like industry, job roles, and the pain points of your audience. This will help you find influencers who can speak directly to the people you want to reach.
Identify the Right Influencers
B2B influencers can be categorised into different types, each offering unique benefits:
- Industry Experts and Thought Leaders: These are individuals who have established authority in your industry. They might not have the largest following, but their content is highly respected. Collaborating with them can significantly boost your brand’s credibility.
- Micro-Influencers: These influencers typically have smaller, more niche followings. Their audiences are often highly engaged, making them ideal for campaigns focused on lead generation or niche product offerings.
- Content Creators: These influencers are skilled at producing engaging content—whether it’s blogs, videos, or podcasts. Partnering with content creators can help you produce high-quality content that resonates with your audience.
- Brand Advocates: These are influencers who are already familiar with and passionate about your brand. They may be existing customers, partners, or even employees. Collaborating with brand advocates can result in more authentic and convincing endorsements.
Influencer Credibility and Engagement
In B2B, credibility is everything. The influencer you choose should have a strong reputation in your industry. Look at their past collaborations, the quality of their content, and their thought leadership in the industry. Check if they regularly speak at industry conferences, publish whitepapers, or contribute to reputable publications.
Engagement is another key metric. A large following doesn’t always equate to influence. Pay attention to the quality of interactions on their posts. Are their followers engaging in meaningful conversations, or are they just liking the posts? High engagement rates indicate that the influencer has a loyal and active audience.
Content Alignment and Authenticity
The influencer’s content should align with your brand values and messaging. Review their previous posts to ensure that their tone, style, and content topics are consistent with your brand. Authenticity is critical—your audience should feel that the influencer genuinely believes in your brand, rather than just promoting it for financial gain.
Authentic influencers tend to share personal experiences, provide valuable insights, and engage in transparent communication. Avoid influencers who promote too many brands, as their endorsements may appear less genuine.
Incorporate Internal Stakeholders
While external influencers are valuable for bringing fresh perspectives and expanding your reach, internal stakeholders also play a crucial role in B2B influencer strategies. These stakeholders, such as your company’s executives, product experts, or sales leaders, are already familiar with your brand’s vision, values, and offerings. Including them in your influencer strategy can provide additional credibility and depth to your campaigns.
A powerful way to leverage both internal stakeholders and external influencers is through panel debates or discussions on specific industry topics. These events can be hosted as webinars, live streams, or recorded content for social media. Here’s why this approach works:
- Diverse Perspectives: Bringing together internal stakeholders with external influencers allows for a dynamic exchange of ideas. This diversity can lead to richer conversations that engage your audience and position your brand as a thought leader in the industry.
- Enhanced Credibility: When your internal experts are part of the conversation, it demonstrates that your company is at the forefront of industry trends. This boosts credibility, as the audience perceives your brand as knowledgeable and well-connected within the industry.
- Authentic Engagement: Panel debates offer an opportunity for real-time interaction with your audience. Viewers can ask questions, share their thoughts, and engage with both your internal and external participants. This creates a more interactive and authentic experience that resonates with your audience.
- Content Versatility: These panel discussions can be repurposed into various content formats, such as blog posts, infographics, social media snippets, or even podcast episodes. This maximises the value of the event and provides ongoing content that continues to engage your audience.
When organising such events, it’s important to carefully select the topics, ensuring they align with both your brand’s goals and the interests of your audience. Also, choose panellists who not only have expertise but also complementary communication styles to foster a lively and engaging discussion.
Long-Term Potential
B2B marketing often involves longer sales cycles and more complex decision-making processes. Therefore, it can be beneficial to build long-term relationships with influencers rather than focusing on one-off campaigns. A long-term partnership allows the influencer to develop a deeper understanding of your brand, resulting in more authentic and impactful promotions. Long-term collaborations can help establish your brand as a consistent presence in the industry, which is crucial for building trust and credibility.
Measure Impact
Finally, it’s essential to measure the impact of your influencer partnerships. Set clear KPIs based on your initial goals, whether that’s increasing website traffic, generating leads, or growing your social media following. Use tools like Google Analytics, social media analytics platforms, and CRM software to track the performance of your campaigns. Analysing the results will help you understand what’s working and where you can improve. It will also inform your future influencer marketing strategies, ensuring that you continue to make data-driven decisions.
Choosing the right B2B influencers for your social media strategy requires careful consideration and strategic planning. By understanding your goals, identifying the right type of influencer, evaluating their credibility and engagement, and measuring the impact of your campaigns, you can build successful influencer partnerships that drive real business results.
Remember, B2B influencer marketing is not about quick wins but about building long-term relationships that add value to both your brand and your audience. Incorporating internal stakeholders into your strategy—especially through panel debates—can further enhance your brand’s credibility and engagement, leading to even greater success in your marketing efforts.
Need help? Contact us today and let’s chat about a multi-phased approach to elevate your social media strategy!